Important features

- [Voiceover] Okay, so now that we've establishedthat Fusion is used for design engineering in manufacturing,let's drill down and try to figure outthe different types of thingswe can do within each of those categories.So, if you look up here,I'm at autodesk/products/fusion-360/featuresand we can take a look at all of the different opportunitieswe have within each of those designated areas.So, design, for example.Here you can see Fusion doesfreeform modeling and sculpting,so, the kind of thing necessaryto build a blank for a shoe, for example.

And they also pair that with solid modeling,which is usually paired with a geometric forms,such as this portion of a bicycle.I should also note that the terminology they're usingis getting a little muddy,so you can see they say freeform modelingand then also solid modeling,really modeling comes up in every one of these unitson this first line,but once we get into the program,you'll see that the workspacesare defined by terms like modeling,so modeling very specifically within Fusion 360means geometric modeling.However, they're using the terma little more loosely right here.

Parametric modeling is alsoone of the really powerful features of Fusion.So, if I start from a measured sketch, for example,and I identify that the radius of a circlethat appears within the sketch is five millimeters,I may work for hours creating some kind of solid objectbased off that sketch.Now, if I were to go back to the initial sketchand then change that circle to six millimeters,Fusion's smart enough to update the solid modelall the way through the processwithout me having to recreate all that work.So, that's one of the big ones.

Mesh modeling is also offered.Fusion can import digital files,say from a 3D scanner.Now, as of this recording,one of the limitations I've noticed with Fusion isthat it only likes to see meshesthat are 10,000 polygons or less,and that can actually be somewhat limiting,so, it'll be interesting to see if they address thatin a future update.Another really cool thing Fusion can dois to establish parts libraries.You can even go, for example,to the industrial supplier, McMaster.com,through Fusion 360 and automatically integrateparts they have, like screws and so forth,that are standard, so you don't want to take the timeto remodel a four millimeter screw over and over again,and that's one way to do those things automatically.

Okay, so that would be CAD, computer aided design.Now, if we take a look down hereat the Engineering component,you know, which, kind of should go third,but anyway, let's talk about it 'cause it's here.So, there's some really cool stuff in herethat's kind of out of my area, frankly,and I was really excited to learn more about,so, simulation and testing, you know,once you establish the design for your partand how it operates,you can actually put it under stress and so forthto see how it'll behave.Data translation, so, they're noting that Fusioncan accept up to 50 different file types,so that's really convenient.

Assembly modeling is something we'll talk about.So, once you've created a set of components,this looks like an old-timey microphone,you can actually determine the differentrotational points at certain jointsand how screws and so forth fit together.And then you can conduct motion studies,you know, so, what are the relationships between these partsand how do they actually function together over time.We can do rendering, of course.Instead of just looking at plainly surfaced models,there's a big library of powerful materialslike glass and plastics and metal and so forthto choose from to make these photo-realistic images.

And, then finally, we can also use Fusionto animate over a timeline.So, to show exploded drawingsor examples of the design's behavior.Now, when it comes to manufacturing,there's lots of different options.So, the first two that we see here,two, two and a half, and three axis machiningrefer to reductive processes.So, for example, if you've a CNCor a computer numerical millyou could use that to carve away from a block of material,like foam or wood or metal or whateverin order to get down to the designthat you created in Fusion.

What you can see in these two first imagesare the generation of tool paths.So, lines that a tool will followas it's reducing a block down to the desired shape.Two axis and two and a half axisjust refers to things that are a little simpler.The tool doesn't have to pick itself up very often.And three axis machining is something more complicatedand curvy, such as this game controller mold.Now, in addition to reductive processes,Fusion can also prepare files for output to 3D printing.And then also, it can put outjust good old-fashioned engineering drawings.

But, keep in mind that we mentionedthat Fusion has this parametric feature.So, these drawings also updatejust like your 3D model updateswhen you go back to an earlier part of the designand change it.And then, finally, Fusion hasa bunch of computer-aided collaboration tools.Not really an acronym for that yet, CIC, maybe.So, distributive design refers to the factthat you can have authors positionedin different geographic locationsthat will be in sort of calling homein order to participate.And you can see herethat your design can reference somebody else's workand then that becomes quite complicatedbut also quite powerful.

You can have synchronous and asynchronous design reviews.So, asynchronous, of course, would be, you know,someone checks in at 12:00, someone else checks in at 1:00,but Fusion has tools that let peopledo that at the same time to speed things up.And then, just like Google Drive for example,there's a tracking of commentsand the sharing back and forth of different media.Version management's also quite powerful.So, as I create, say four different versionsof a particular file, it's possible to navigateback through those versions to compare themso you don't lose that work from before.

The fact that you can view the stuffon a mobile phone is great, but, you know,maybe a little bit more of just a bell and a whistle.You don't just have to share your designs to team members.You can publish them out publicly.You can write scripts that interact with Fusion.And, Fusion also, at least, coming soon,so it says, will be tracking the treesthat are generated when different peoplemake derivative works based on each others' product.So, tons of stuff to see in Fusion.So, we're going to dive in and touch uponas many of these items, at least briefly, as we can.

And, in a future tutorial,we can drill down into the specific areas more in-depth.

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Author

Updated

10/30/2017

Released

8/11/2016

Autodesk Fusion 360 is a complex piece of software for modeling both onscreen assets (3D renders and animation) and offscreen physically manufactured elements. It provides parametric tools that allow a designer to edit components as specs change—without starting over from scratch. What's more, projects can be shared among a group of designers using 360's cloud-based design management system.

This course is an overview of the interface and the modeling, sculpting, and rendering workflows in Fusion 360. Taylor Hokanson shows how to import reference images, use the sketching tools, extrude 3D shapes, combine components into assemblies, and render animations that show your designs in action. Plus, learn how to sculpt organic shapes by editing T-Spline forms. This course has everything you need to use Fusion 360 to translate your ideas into elegant CAD drawings and fabrication-ready designs.

Topics include:

Navigating the Fusion 360 interface

Sketching triangles and struts

Geometric modeling

Extruding

Organic sculpting

Combining geometry

Skill Level Appropriate for all

1h 41m

Duration

214,497

Views

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Q: This course was updated on 10/30/2017. What changed?

A: The following topics were updated: drawing struts, copying the master strut sketch, and using the T-Spline box.